Lisbon Cafe

Lisbon Cafe, Carle Place: Lisbon Cafe, a Portuguese restaurant in Carle Place, is an offspring of Mineola mainstay Heart of Portugal. It's a cozy space that serves up food just as good, and sometimes better, than it's sister restaurant. Recommended: Bacalhau a Lagareiro, Chouriço, caldo verde.

Mannino's Italian Kitchen & Lounge

(Credit: Daniel Brennan)

Mannino's Italian Kitchen & Lounge, Commack: Of the three branches of Mannino's on Long Island, this spot is the largest. This sprawling, two-story affair prepares Italian-American favorites very well. Recommended: grilled octopus, cavatelli with olive oil and garlic, beef braciola.

Kurofune

(Credit: Bruce Gilbert)

Kurofune, Commack: Recently gone under new ownership, Kurofune Japanese Restaurant has been serving Commack for the last two decades. The current version is a lot better than its predecessor, with a more polished dining room and sushi bar, as well as an updated menu with a few pleasant surprises. Recommended: The rainbow roll, soba soup, fluke usuzukuri.

Hush Bistro

Hush Bistro, Farmingdale: Meticulously designed, with almost industrial-style space, Hush Bistro in Farmingdale is decorated with reclaimed wood and vintage scones. The space is small-- it fits only 26 diners-- but the flavors are big. Meals here are thoughtful and flavorful. Recommended: Berkshire pork chop (pictured), lobster bisque and house-smoked ribs.

P.J. Clarke's

(Credit: Bruce Gilbert)

P.J. Clarke's, Woodbury: The newest P.J. Clarke's has uncorked in Woodbury, leading with eight burgers and six ryes. It's precisely designed and polished, and can have a pretty good meal here if you order carefully. Recommended: The "Cadillac" burger (pictured), lobster-salad roll, and dry-aged sirloin steak.

The Refuge

(Credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan)

The Refuge, Melville: The Refuge Food & Spirits, heir to Four Food Studio, is a bold, whimsical redesign that almost turns the site into a movie set with amusement-park flair. The vibe inside is eclectic, with distressed wood, no chairs that match and a pop-and-rock soundtrack. With excellent Latin fare and tasty Italian dishes, you can tell the party is just getting started.Recommended: paella (pictured), baked eggplant with pappardelle and ropa vieja nachos.

Imperial Meat Company

(Credit: Bruce Gilbert)

Imperial Meat Company, Huntington: Sleek, neon-lit and clubby, IMC (Imperial Meat Company) erases all memories of Buoy One, the classic fish restaurant that used to occupy this prime Main Street location. Though excessive in style, the menu is far more simple. Recommended: Filet mignon (pictured), lobster-salad sliders and foie gras.

The Arden

(Credit: Daniel Brennan)

The Arden, Port Jefferson: Situated above a Starbucks in the town of Port Jefferson is The Arden. Enter at street level, pass a velvet rope line, and climb a seasonally decorated stairway to reach the "ultra lounge" for "vibe dining." Recommended: Tuna two ways (pictured), fig-and-goat cheese flatbread and root-beer braised short ribs.

Grotta di Fuoco

Grotta di Fuoco, Long Beach: Exposed brick and industrial metal steps give this spot a Brooklyn-esque appeal, but it’s the food that will really catch your attention at Grotta di Fuoco in Long Beach. From start to finish, this “cave of fire” is smokin’. Recommended: Baccalá alla puttanesca (pictured), tre porcellini pizza and fettuccine alla carbonara.

Brook23 bar + kitchen

(Credit: Barbara Alper)

brook23 bar + kitchen, Lynbrook: Lynrbook’s newest gastropub, brook23 bar + kitchen, is devoted to craft beers on tap, fare that goes with brews, major TV sports and the perpetual pursuit of a good time. Choose wisely and you can have a tasty meal—and a fantastic brew. Recommended: Duck fries, "crispy double cheese" sandwich and their house burger (pictured).

Caci North Fork

(Credit: Randee Daddona)

Caci North Fork, Southold: A rustic spot that already has a niche on Main Road in Southold, Caci North Fork is an experience for expertly prepared food, served in a contemporary dining room that creates a look free of interruptions. Recommended: Seared duck breast with apple chutney (pictured), potato gnocchi and bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Kashi Sushi Lounge

(Credit: Yvonne Albinowski)

Kashi Sushi Lounge, Syosset: The newly opened third branch of Kashi Sushi Lounge in Syosset makes the branches in Huntington and Rockville Centre seem like vow-of-silence retreat houses. You come here for a show, and you get it, in the design of the spot itself and on the plate. Recommended: Takayama sushi roll (pictured), sashimi and beef tenderloin stir-fry.

Pentimento

(Credit: Bruce Gilbert)

Pentimento, Stony Brook: New chef, Massimo Fedozzi, has transformed Pentimento into a destination for regional Italian fare with the taste of authenticity. Start with well-sourced cheeses and cured meats, but order small plates and save room for the exceptional pastas. Recommended: Pan-seared pork chop is paired with braised cabbage (pictured), veal-filled agnolotti del plin with porcini mushrooms and Peconic Bay scallops.

George Martin's Grillfire

(Credit: Jeremy Bales)

George Martin's Grillfire, Syosset:
This third Long Island Grillfire is a bit different from the branches in Merrick and Rockville Centre, with a more ambitious menu and style, plus some higher prices. The look is mainly modern, mostly striking, in earth tones, with splashes of color, stone-like veneers and a popular bar with the obligatory TVs tuned to sports. Recommended: flat-iron steak and sesame-crusted tuna equal updated surf-and-turf.

Brewology

(Credit: Doug Young)

Brewology, Speonk: Brewology refers to the science of beer, and this gastropub, with 24 taps and chef Lia Fallon creating the cuisine, is very systematically, precisely and meticulously put together in almost every way. Recommended: scallop BLT (pictured), the grilled flatbread du jour, short-rib burger with Cheddar cheese, smoked pork belly with maple-bean ragout.

Petulant Wino

Petulant Wino, Aquebogue: The North Fork's newest must-eat, must-drink restaurant is co-owned by Courtney Schaudel and her father, perpetual-motion chef Tom Schaudel, and housed in an 1830 building. This is his third North Fork production, following A Mano in Mattituck and A Lure in Southold, and he brings along chef Lenny Campanelli (formerly of CoolFish). Recommended: pan-roasted Long Island blackfish (pictured, served in Thai green curry with black rice and banana salsa), lemongrass-poached shrimp with green-tea soba noodles, striped bass crudo, tuna "pizza" with scallion pancake, grilled oysters, mini grilled cheese sandwich with braised short rib, chipotle-braised duck taco, slow-roasted pork belly with pickled rhubarb, duck breast with mushroom-and-blueberry risotto, Black Angus burger with fruitwood-smoked bacon, warm fig cake with salted caramel gelato.

Matteo's

(Credit: Alessandro Vecchi)

Matteo's, Roslyn: Open since 1992 but overseen by new owners since 2008, the recently refreshed restaurant has a dining room that's gone from drab to fab and a chef, Anthony Martarana, who has kept much of the family-style Italian menu but added New American and modern Italian dishes. Recommended: Nonna's ragu, featuring hunks of short rib, meatballs and sausage (pictured); clams oreganata; grilled octopus with white beans and tomato; whole branzino; shrimp Wendy, shrimp sauteed with green beans; chicken ultimate, lightly fried cutlets in a lemony sauce topped with mozzarella and cherry peppers.

Claudio's

(Credit: Alessandro Vecchi)

Claudio's, Glen Cove: Co-owners Claudio Zustovich and son Fabrizio have overhauled and brightened the spacious, high-ceiling dining room formerly occupied by La Pace. It now is called Ristorante Da Claudio. Salmon carpaccio is an appetizer.

Latitude 121

(Credit: Daniel Brennan)

Latitude 121, Stony Brook: Taking over the former home of Brook House, the polished dining room has been given a nautical theme, but it's subtle and confident, like much of James Cavorti's cuisine. Recommended: lobster Thermidor potpie (pictured), mini pork wings, duo of sliders, mussels with tomatoes, lobster bisque, grilled swordfish, sea scallops in a citrus beurre blanc, New York strip steak, filet mignon, chocolate fudge layer cake.

La Marmite

(Credit: Jeremy Bales)

La Marmite, Williston Park: At 40 years old, the classic continental restaurant, housed in an early 1900s Victorian, has found a younger self in new ownership and new chef in Greg Kearns. The familiar northern Italian-French menu has been refreshed and updated. Recommended: roast lobster (pictured, with creamy morel sauce and English pea puree); baked, local top neck clams; pappardelle Bolognese; seared diver scallops, with endive marmalade; chargrilled octopus with chickpea salad; steamed mussels in coconut-lime broth; pan-seared red snapper; duck breast on a puree of sweet potatoes; herb-crusted rack of lamb; chocolate mousse cake.